Max was born Feb. 8, 1948 to Robert and Doris (Poole) Chown. In 1968 he married Kathy Harmon in West Liberty, Iowa. A daughter, Tami and son, Todd were born from this union. They later divorced. In 1995 he married Jane Landon in Joplin Trailer Park and became stepfather to Christopher.

Max was the operator and owner of Chown Appliance for over 30 years, carrying on the business his father started in 1930. In 1989 he purchased Joplin Trailer Park in Mt. Ida, Ark. in partnership with his sister, Kay Cline. The two of them managed the business from Iowa for several years. Max retired in 2010 and moved to Ark., which was more of a transition to his next endeavor as operator and owner of Joplin Trailer Park and fisherman of beautiful Lake Ouachita.

Max served his country as a member of the Army Reserves. He was a member of the Nichols volunteer fire department and a deacon of the Nichols Christian Church. Max held many roles in his time on earth: son, brother, dad, husband, grandpa, dog lover, boss, partner, businessman, landlord, mentor, protector, entertainer, hunter, fisherman, teacher, electrician, plumber, salesman, mechanic, groundskeeper, grill master and last but not least, friend. He was loved by and will be sorely missed by many.